Haplochromis piceatus

Haplochromis piceatus is a species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Victoria in East Africa.[2] Although listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, surveys since 2005 have failed to find it in its home lake and it is possibly extinct in the wild.[3][4] Captive "safety populations" are maintained at several public aquariums.[4][5]

Haplochromis piceatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Haplochromis
Species:
H. piceatus
Binomial name
Haplochromis piceatus
Greenwood & Gee, 1969
Synonyms
  • Astatotilapia piceata (Greenwood & Gee, 1969)
  • Astatotilapia piceatus (Greenwood & Gee, 1969)

This species can reach a standard length of 9 cm (3.5 in).[2] Males are bluish-black with orange fins and females are grayish. The species generally resembles H. cinereus and H. macrops, also from Lake Victoria, but it differs in having a longer jaw and a higher gill raker count.[5] In the wild it was typically found over a muddy bottom at depths of about 14–18 m (46–59 ft) where it fed on zooplankton and insect larvae, but captives will eat a wide range of standard aquarium fish food.[2][5]

References
  1. Witte, F.; de Zeeuw, M.P. & Brooks, E. (2010). "Haplochromis piceatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T61189A12440462. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T61189A12440462.en.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Haplochromis piceatus" in FishBase. September 2019 version.
  3. Sayer, C.A.; L. Máiz-Tomé; W.R.T. Darwall (2018). Freshwater biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin: Guidance for species conservation, site protection, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods. Cambridge, UK and Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. doi:10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.RA.2.en. ISBN 9782831718965.
  4. Rutger, H. (27 March 2018). "Thus fish in Mote Aquarium may be extinct in the wild – and it has quite a backstory". Mote Aquarium. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  5. Hemdal, J.; E. McMullin (2013). "Husbandry of a Lake Victoria cichlid, the Pitch-black fulu Haplochromis piceatus, in public aquariums: a 20 year retrospective". Int. Zoo Yearb. 47: 112–119. doi:10.1111/izy.12012.


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